Learning, Loving, and Leading through Christ

September 2, 2022

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From The Desk of Mr. Johnston

Dear St. Alphonsus Catholic School Families,


We have had a great first week of school! It has been so nice having everyone back in the building.


I wanted to touch base with you briefly about our Back to School Night, which will take place on Wednesday, September 7 from 5:30 to 8:00pm. This event is for Parents Only, so please do not bring your students.  


There will be 3 sessions to choose from for K3-5th grade and 1 session for all of 6th-8th. You are free to go to any of those sessions. Mr. Johnston, Amy Schermetzler and Father Kevin McManaman will speak to the families from 6:40 pm - 7:10 pm in the Community Room. Then the middle school parent session will be directly after, starting at 7:10. All of the faculty will be introduced at this time.


All families are welcome to attend the middle school session if they wish. I will announce the move from session to session about 2 minutes before each one ends. The format is as follows:


K3-5th Grades

5:30 - 5:50 

5:50 - 6:10

6:10 - 6:30

                                               

Principal Talk—in the Community Room  

6:40 – 7:10 

 

6th-8th Grades-Middle School--in the Community Room

7:10 - 7:50


We hope to see you at this event so you can learn more about what your children will be learning this year! As a reminder, there is no school on Monday due to the Labor Day Holiday. Have a great weekend!


Yours in Christ,


Mr. Russ Johnston

Principal  

Car Line Safety Reminders

A quick reminder for Back to School: please remember to follow our car line procedures! 


3K, 4K, 5K students AND SIBLINGS should be dropped off and picked up in the school courtyard car line.  All other grades, 1-8, should use the main car line by the gym doors.


Please do not park your car on Churchway or Schoolway for pickup.  This is a violation of our agreement with the village.  In addition, please do not park in the main school parking lot and cross the car line in order to pick up your younger students.  This presents a major safety concern, as the car lines move quite quickly, and cars may not always see you as you're crossing. Thank you for helping us to keep our students safe and our neighbors happy! 

Important Dates to Remember


September



9/7

Back to School Info Night

for Parents Only

5:30-8pm


Dine Out Night

Cousins Subs - Franklin

Details Below 


9/29

Picture Retake Day

7:45am



October



10/20

Parent Teacher Conferences

10am-2pm

and

3-7pm



September Lunch Menu

Morning Care Reminders

Just a reminder that St. Alphonsus Morning Care is available for students in grades 3K - 8th each day that St. Alphonsus School is in session. 


It opens at 6:30 am and closes when the morning bell rings at 7:30 am. At 7:30 am the students walk to their classrooms. 


Pricing is $2.00 per student if they arrive between 6:30 to 7:00am and $1.50 per student if they arrive between 7:00 to 7:30am.


St. Alphonsus Morning Care is held in Room 330.   Parents may park their cars in the parking lot on the east side of the Parish House and enter via the 'back porch" of the school that is across from the Parish House garages. Please walk your child up the stairs and ring the doorbell. Mrs. Ramion will come and open the door for your child. Please do not leave your child unattended while waiting for the door to open.  For more information, please visit our website. 

Meet & Greet Night Fun

Thank you for joining us at Meet & Greet!


We had a great time seeing everyone and really appreciate the support of the 8th Grade Class fundraiser.  The ice cream treats were a big hit! 

Thank you again for your support of the 8th Grade Class! 

RCIA is Starting Soon! 

Do you know friends or relatives who…


  • Are faith-seekers
  • Express a desire to know Christ
  • Have questions about the Catholic way of life?


Why not invite them to join us for an RCIA Inquiry Session? We’ll begin on Wednesday September 21 at 7:00p.m. at St. Alphonsus Parish Ministry Center 5960 W. Loomis Road - Upper Parking Lot.


Inquirers will meet the Team and recently confirmed Catholics.  For more information, please see this letter.

Fun Run Registration Now Open

Registration is now open for St. Alphonsus Catholic School’s Fun Run!


The kick-off for St. Alphonsus Catholic School’s Fun Run is less than 2 weeks away! Parents, registration is now open on mybooster.com. All students registered before September 15th will earn an Out-of-Uniform day on September 16th!


Our goal is to raise $20,000 for safety updates and to strengthen our school community. 


Just a reminder, students will participate in a Pep Rally on September 14th and bring home materials to help you reach out to donors over the following 9 days. The Fun Run will take place on September 23rd in the parking lot, weather permitting.


A HUGE thank you to our T-shirt sponsors:


Platinum:

Cousin’s Subs

Wilke Wealth and Investment Planning


Gold:

Educators Credit Union

Oak Creek Wood Products

Joey Gerard’s, A Bartolotta Supper Club


Silver:

St. Alphonsus School Staff

Advance Camping Sales


Bronze:

Biltrite Furniture


If you have any questions about the Fun Run, please contact Olivia Hartley.

Now Hiring for Cougar Club!

Our After School Program is looking for one or two adult staff to mentor and engage students in activities, help them with homework, and enjoy outdoor time with them.


We are looking for someone to work Tuesday afternoons and possibly one other week day. The hours would be 2:30-6:00PM.


If a school family member who has a child enrolled in our after school Cougar Care program is interested in this position, your child’s fee would be reduced or waived on the days that you work. If you, or someone you know would be interested in this position, please contact Stacey Pagac.

School Volunteer Opportunities

Looking to spend some time with your students at school this year?


Why not volunteer to help us out as a lunchroom or playground monitor? We are always looking for parents to act as daily monitors for lunch periods and recess. We are flexible to YOUR schedule--come one day a week or all five days a week!


This is a really impactful way for parents to step up & volunteer at school, as it lets the teachers have a break and is an easy way to spend some time with your students during the day. If you are interested in being either a playground monitor or a lunchroom supervisor, please contact Ginger Young.

Extracurricular Opportunities!

Rosary Club is Back!


We are happy to announce that Father Patrick will be coordinating the Rosary Club this year! During Rosary Club, the students will learn more about the devotion to the Blessed Mother as we learn to pray this beautiful Catholic devotion.


Rosary Club will take place on Wednesdays after school for about 30 minutes beginning at 2:45 pm in the Church and is open to all students.


The first Rosary Club meeting will be on Wednesday September 14th. Please fill out and return the Rosary Club Registration and Permission Form to the parish office by September 12th. Attendance will be taken at each prayer meeting. At each meeting we will be joined by a parent chaperone. 

Band & Orchestra for Grades 3-8


Gateway Organization Milwaukee, a local non-profit organization, is happy to return to St. Alphonsus with our ever-popular Band and Orchestra Program. Students who sign up for lessons will receive: 


  • A 20-minute private lesson once a week for 30 weeks throughout the school year. (Private lessons are scheduled during the school day and rotate weekly so students do not miss the same 20-minute block of time each week. If your child has a class that they cannot miss please communicate this to their band or orchestra teacher at the time of registration.)
  • A weekly 45-minute group class, either before or after school.
  • The opportunity to perform at various school functions throughout the year.


Orchestra lessons are available to students in grades 3-8.

Band lessons are available to students grades 4-8. 


The cost of lessons is $450 for the school year. Online registration is available via these links and is due by Wednesday, September 7:


Orchestra Registration 

Band Registration 


Lessons will begin the week of September 12. Tuition, either full or the first installment, is due at or before the first lesson. Your child’s band or orchestra teacher will be in contact after September 9 with lesson schedules and payment information. 


For more information, see this document and contact Molly Lieberman with questions!

Cub Scout Pack 596


St. Alphonsus Cub Scout Pack 596 is looking for new members. If your child grades K-5 has interest in joining Cub Scouts, join us for our first Pack Meeting of the year in the St. Alphonsus cafeteria, September 15th 6:30 PM.


For more information about Cub Scouts or Pack Registration contact Cubmaster Thomas Gates or Chelsea Gates at 414-731-5238, or visit scouting.org.

Out-Of-Uniform Pass Sale!

The 8th Grade Class will again be selling Out-of-Uniform Passes to help support their graduation activities.


A sheet of 10 passes will cost $15 per student.


New this year: to help with consistency in the school's out-of-uniform days and to make tracking easier for the teachers, Out-of-Uniform passes will be good on the last Friday of the month, instead of Mondays. The school will continue to do out-of-uniform fundraisers for special causes and those will happen on alternative days.


The order form came home via backpack mail earlier this week!  Thank you from the 8th grade Class of 2023!

Home & School Updates

Dine Out Night At Cousins Subs on September 7th


Next Wednesday, September 7th, is our first Dine Out Night of the school year at Cousins Subs! Dine in our carry out tonight, August 3rd from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Franklin location, 7700 S. Lovers Lane Road. 15% of the sales will go to support St. Alphonsus. Online orders, dine in, carry out...it all supports our school.


Be sure to get a receipt (one per student) and have your student give it to their homeroom teacher to be out of uniform the next day (9/8).


Dine Out Nights - the easiest and most delicious fundraisers around!

Cougar Sports Corner

2022 Schedule:


  • Practice on Saturday, September 3, 9:00-10:15;meet at St. Alphonsus gym entrance
  • Practice on Sunday, September 11, 1:00-2:15 at location TBD
  • Practice on Sunday, September 18, 1:00-2:15 at location TBD
  • Meet on Saturday, September 24, 12:40pm. Distance: 1 mile
  • Meet on Saturday, October 1, 9:15. Distance: 1.6 miles

Cross Country is Back!

The Cougar Cross Country Club runs its season during the month of September (and one day in October). The purpose of the club is to provide students in grades 4-8 with a quick, relaxed, and fun introduction to the great sport of cross country. 


The first practice is on Saturday, September 3.


If you are interested or have questions, please contact Ben Rezutek (coach) via email or phone at  414-704-4910.

Pius XI Junior Popes Tryouts


Tryouts for the Pius XI Junior Popes boys basketball program are September 11-15 for boys in grades 3-8. Tryouts are free but you must pre-register to attend. Register for tryouts HERE


For more information on Junior Popes Boys Basketball, visit THIS LINK, as well as the JUNIOR POPES WEBSITE


If you have any questions, please reach out to Program Director Matt Pape.


Catholic Central High School Announces Volleyball Youth Night


Join Catholic Central High School at Youth Volleyball Night on Thursday, September 8 as the Hilltoppers take on Dominican High School.  


Free admission, raffles, and special recognition! 


5:00pm JV & 6:30pm Varsity.  See the attached flyer for more information. 

Other School & Parish News

Mass Greeters Wanted!


Lori Kennedy (Parish Children’s Minister) has been working closely with Mr. Johnston to have kids more involved at Mass! Twice a month kids from both the school and faith formation programs will be greeting people at the 11:00 Mass. 


All kids in the grade level assigned are welcome to come and help greet! Students can come at 10:45am to the parish library before the 11:00am mass. No sign-up is needed, just come with a smile!

Altar Server Training for New & Returning Servers


Children in fourth grade and above are invited to become altar servers at St. Alphonsus Parish. If your child would like to begin serving for the first time, or continue on in this ministry, we ask that they attend one of the following training sessions:

 

  • Thursday, September 1st from 3pm to 4pm
  • Wednesday, September 7th from 6:30pm-7:30pm
  • Thursday, September 8th from 3pm to 4pm
  • Saturday, September 10th from 10:30am-11:30am

 

Please register via this link. Please contact Fr. Patrick with any questions!

The Parish Women's Group is Back! 


To all of our school moms,


I wanted to personally invite each of you to the St. Alphonsus Women's Group (formerly Mom's Group). My name is Lauren Miller; I have 4 kids here at St. Al's and help co-lead the parish Women's Group with another mom.


We gather one Saturday morning each month to socialize, pray, or listen to a guest speaker, but most importantly to help one another spiritually. I am so grateful for this group and for the opportunity to talk about God, family, and the Catholic faith with like-minded women who care about growing in holiness for themselves and for their families.


We have a variety of topics set up for this year, including "Ask a Priest," Eucharistic Adoration, Marian apparitions, and so much more! The attached flier includes all dates through December, with additional dates coming soon for January through May. Our first meeting will be Saturday, September 24 at 9:30 am in the Community Room. Feel free to drop in and join us; we would love to have you!  


Any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me here

Newsletter & Social Media Submissions


The newsletter is a submission-based production, which means we only share those items that we are aware of and are submitted to us.  


So, if you have fun news & updates about your students and their extracurriculars (including athletics) that you would like shared in the newsletter or on social media, please email them to Mrs. Schermetzler!  We love to include fun things and will share as much as we can. 


The submission deadline for each week's newsletter is 5:00pm on Wednesdays. 

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Join Us for St. Alphonsus Catholic School's Parent Book Club


New this year!


Please join us after school mass on one Wednesday a month for a Parent Book Club, led by school librarian Mrs. Schermetzler.  Come enjoy some coffee after mass and a short discussion about books, parenting and life! Moms, dads, guardians, grandparents, and special friends are all welcome, as are little brothers and sisters who are not of school-age yet! 


We will meet once a month, with our first meeting on Wednesday, September 21 directly after the all-school mass. Join us at this initial meeting to suggest books and decide our future schedule! Please RSVP to Mrs. Schermetzler if you plan to attend.  

Do you have items for the newsletter? To submit them or for questions and submission guidelines, please contact Amy Schermetzler.
Please note that submissions are due by 5:00pm Wednesdays.